Lafayette has gone 6-1 against Trenton recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Lafayette Hornets will welcome the Trenton Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lafayette comes in on six and Trenton on five.
On Tuesday, Lafayette was able to grind out a solid victory over Fort White, taking the game 9-4.
Gavin Barnes looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
Garrett Taylor
| 03/04/25 vs Fort White | 3 |
| 02/13/25 @ Branford | 1 |
| 04/26/24 @ Hamilton County | 1 |
| 03/19/24 vs Cottondale | 1 |
| 03/14/24 @ Fort White | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Garrett Taylor, who went 3-for-4 with three doubles, two runs, and one RBI. Those three doubles gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Trevor Byrd, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Lafayette hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, everything went Trenton's way against Gainesville on Tuesday as Trenton made off with a 14-2 win. Considering the Tigers have won four matchups by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Mason VunCannon made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in May of 2024. He was even better at the plate, scoring four runs and stealing Three bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.2 stolen bases per game.
In other batting news, Pierson Weatherilt and Ty Moses did most of the damage at the plate: Weatherilt scored three runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Moses scored two runs while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Zane McArdle, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two RBI.
Trenton's victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Lafayette, their win bumped their record up to 6-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lafayette has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Trenton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lafayette came out on top in a nail-biter against Trenton in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 9-7. Does Lafayette have another victory up their sleeve, or will Trenton turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
